Tongchang-ri, North Korea (CNN) -- As North Korea presses forward with a controversial rocket launch, journalists were granted a rare glimpse Sunday of the reclusive country's preparations.

CNN was part of a group taken to the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in Tongchang-ri, in the northwest part of the country.

North Korea announced last month that it would launch a rocket carrying a satellite between April 12 and 16 to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, the founder of the Communist state. His birthday on April 15, known as the "Day of the Sun," is a key public holiday in the North Korean calendar.

Pyongyang says the operation is for peaceful purposes, but Japan, the United States and South Korea see the launch as a cover for a long-range ballistic missile test.

markoni

Posted Apr-9-2012 By

daddio195666

Comment of user 'MB-UK' has been deleted by author (after account deletion)!

@daddio195666 If the weapon protects your food, or helps you to acquire food for survival, then the weapon can be just as important as food. On the other hand, last time I checked, it probably wouldn't be a great idea to nuke a place and then eat their food.